Library policy news from the American Library Association's Washington Office.

Author: Larra Clark

Larra Clark is the deputy director of both the Public Library Association and Washington Office’s public policy team. Larra received her bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies from the University of Arizona and has a M.S. in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

The American Library Association this week argued in support of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) strong, enforceable rules to protect and preserve the open internet with an amici filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. “The FCC made an ill-considered decision to roll back…

The American Library Association (ALA) has joined 144 groups in opposing the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 Census form. ALA is a signee of a letter submitted August 1 by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights to the Department of Commerce, which oversees the US…

In the warp speed of politics, 2020 can seem light years away. But current policy discussions and outreach planning for the United States 2020 Census could have significant impacts for libraries. ALA is working to ensure that libraries are informed and represented in the process. The decennial count of all U.S.…

ALA has been working closely with allies to support Senate legislation to restore 2015’s strong, enforceable net neutrality rules. The bill is a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution from Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), which would block the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) December repeal of net neutrality rules. The CRA currently…

Nearly 9,000 advocates have raised a library voice in favor of net neutrality over the past week, adding significantly to the outcry over the FCC’s draconian draft order rescinding 2015 protections. According to our action center dashboard, 27,319 emails have been sent and, thanks to you, every member of Congress…